A Star That Would Not Dim

The first two working-class members were elected to Parliament in 1874, indicative of political class struggle. In this final volume of The Estella Trilogy, the Jaggers Trust for the Relief and Education of the Poor seeks to alleviate profound social problems including prostitution, rural poverty and education. Estella is now its Chair, part of her independent life since Pip's death in 1870.

Yet women struggle with social change although the suffrage is not yet pre-eminent. Divorce, relationships with servants, children's education, new wealth, individual responsibilities in an age of colonial expansion, along with loyalty and status in marriage determine how women are to plan their futures.

Estella is now a lady widely regarded as a fount of wisdom, a star that does not dim with age. Maturity brings constant self-reflection prompted by her reading the Jaggers - Havisham letters about her as a child. Yet she has many pleasures: In Paris where Sargent paints her portrait; at Numquam House where she relaxes with Nellie, and the discussions in The League of Free Women.

Yet her parental legacies haunt her: Molly, Abel Magwitch and Miss Havisham. From her mother she has inherited an unhinged jealousy. Estella admits to herself that both her parents were murderers, and wonders if everyone does not think seriously about killing someone.